Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Bad Day Entitlement

This blog has been written and rewritten many times over because I feel so strongly about this that I cannot seem to put it into words.

When a person feels entitlement, then I feel that there is an issue. Entitlement in the sense of that someone feels that that deserve or have the right to something over someone else. Or even that they should have the right to do something because of what someone else has done.

I am coming to figure out that my issue is not with people actually having entitlement it is an acquired entitlement because of the actions of someone else with which I have my issue.

To talk to the 'assuming undeserving' (which is myself at time): we need to gain perspective. No more feelings of entitlement because of what someone has done to us, how bad of a day we have had, or otherwise.

I have seen too many unhealthy relationships where one party makes a mistake and now the other feels entitled to make transgressions now as long as it isn't as bad as what the other did. Example: "Why are you getting mad at me for lying to you when you lied and cheated?" One person's actions should not change your own standards. Comparison between people is one of the worst phenomenon to plague mankind. Comparison should only be between yourself in the past, yourself now, and where you want yourself to be in the future.

Also, when we begin to have a bad day, we feel this sense of entitlement. "Everyone should be nice to us because we are having a bad day." A complete loss of perspective. Even when we are in this 'bad day state' we still impact everything around us. We still are blessed. What? You think not? Your breathing, right?

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Drop in a ocean or a tidal wave?

An interesting research topic of mine recently has been Movements in history. Still I cannot seem to pin down a wide ranging cause or catalyst. Some were caused by previous wars that brought entire regions into poverty. Others by a single person who viewed the world differently than it currently was and then many people began to think the same way. Either or any way, Movements appear to happen much more in the past. A part of me is beginning to think that it was because the people at the time had a little sight when it came to the world as a whole. They would only see what was in their town or area. Rarely their country. Even more so, how their country ran compared to others. A person would be born and live and die without meeting anyone from outside of the town in which they were born. So bringing these ideas were nearly always revolutionary. Now the the world is a very global society, we see this information so often that it comes in smaller bits of information instead of all at once. This is slightly frightening to me because we might get to a worse state than people as a whole have gotten to in the past. So instead of seeing the whole cake at once and realizing how bad it is for us, we break it down and take a daily amount of change that is much easier for us to swallow.

I want to be part of a movement.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Dynamite? Seriously?

Time is this interesting value that we attempt to gain more of but must spend it as it is gained. There is no saving or storing of time. It must be use as soon as it is received. So, I must chose to spend more of it blogging instead of just thinking about blogging. I think a thought and say to myself, I'm going to blog about that' and then I don't. When in the past I had trouble getting thoughts out of my head; now it seem almost as if just the thought of blogging about it gets it out of my head. Posting it on the blog in my mind. A mental state of letting go. Since I am here and have thoughts I decided to write.

Perception, assumption, and then expectation. This is my cycle. How I survive day to day with in the laws that the world is given by. But daily I am reminded to not apply this structure to people. One of the ways I am reminded is because someone does it to me. Overall, I'm a nice guy. Sometimes too nice for my own good and the good of my dating life. So that is what others perceive me as. Then they assume that it applies to all times and to all people. Then they expect it.

I decide little on the spot or at the moment unless the situation is dire and requires it. Normally I come to a realization that I do not really enjoy spending time around someone when I am in a time of reflection on my own. An example is a person that I do not like being around because of how their humor is demeaning. Poking fun is ok because it is light hearted and a one time thing but when a person's entire form of communication is this way it becomes tiresome.

Then a time comes when this person continues this 'humor' with me after I have already decided previously that I don't enjoy their company and I give them the cold shoulder. Then they completely shut down and say that I'm being mean. Really? That is a little overkill, yes? Like dynamite to open a stuck lid on a jar of strawberry jam. Really? You waste whatever chance you had at tasting the jelly (my friendship) when you over reacted with dynamite.

'Taking a break' is for the unhappy. Allowing yourself the choice to go back and to change what has happened is unhealthy and makes you unhappy. It is far better to write down your reasoning for doing something and then move on. If you ever start to fall into the 'grass is greener' trap just go look but at your reasoning for leaving. You will not attempt to reopen the option after you remember the many many reason you made the change in the first place.

Someone called me a PC the other day. Yes this person is an intellectual (extreme geek). I asked, 'why?' "Well others are very specified and are good at what they do. Like a Mac. But you, do everything alright but are horrible at drawing pretty pictures." they replied. In disbelief my feeling resulted to defensive and I exclaimed, "I can draw things well! I just need to look at them and break it down into smaller, repeatable sections." Promptly they replied, "Exactly."